minitech

Looks like the headlight gear only travels half way back and forth and then it breaks by the teeth on the nylon gear breaking. Has anyone just flipped the gear to get more life out of the gear? For mine I would be fine with it working another 11 years!

hornet7

For the work involved to gain access to the gear, might as well replace it.

Green LT1

By the time you remove the headlight motor, crack the case open, remove the gear and turn it 180 degrees, you might as well go ahead and replace the nylon gear with a much sturdier brass gear. I did the fix a couple of years ago on my '02 Z06, and it still works great. I recommend ordering a brass gear kit from one of the several possible sources...

87SAM

The good side of the gear is still 11 years old!

lucky131969

.....or another 24 hours. Really, after all the work, why would you not replace the gears?

0Paul Ruggeri

The gear kits are only about $50. Better to do it right than do it twice.

minitech

The original question was just is it possible.

I've done it before and it is just a 30 minute job without removing the headlight assembly. I don't think it is difficult. I do have a new gear coming in the mail right now but I thought I'd ask about flipping the stock one.

Suppose you are on a trip and the gear goes out, would be nice to know with your tool kit you could take time to flip it and if needed in the future change it out. Or you are someone that just don't want to spend the money when you know there is an option of flipping it?

SPS

Looks like the majority is against your idea. But I'll let you know, on my old Firebird, I did exactly what you suggested. Those headlights pop up automatically, and got a real work-out. Every time I started the car in the garage, they would pop up, because its dark, then go down when I exited the garage. First one headlight, then the other would break. I didn't even realize at the time that I could buy bronze gears, but I got a price on a new motor assembly and didn't want to pay that. Eventually the other side of the gear broke again, so then I turned the gears another 90 degrees and it still worked ! Finally sold the car.

lionelhutz

Geeze, you don't remove the motor or crack it open to "flip" the gear. You remove the surround and reach in and unbolt the arm, pull it off, rotate the output shaft of the motor manually by about 1/2 turn and put it back together. Very easy test to ensure the gear will fix your problem or make the gear work for a while longer.

I actually did the above and drove all summer for about 10k miles before changing the gear and only because it was winter and the car was sitting in the garage, not because it failed.

FYI, the motor rotates more than 180 degrees so it still has to use the bad part of the gear. However, it's not stopping at the bad part so there is not nearly as much stress on the bad part of the gear and it will likely move through the bad part.

There is a plastic gear you can get for <$10 from any parts store that sells the "HELP" line. I'd have to find the part number though. To me, it wouldn't make much sense for a glued motor.

Peter

dlboyd41

I did this in less than 40 minutes, i am new to this car. Beats 60 bucks for a metal gear. Works like new for now.

minitech

THAT is good to know if I were on a trip and just needed to get by.

minitech

After all those questions about the gear it was not the outside of the gear at all. The rubber bumper failed and hogged off the inside of the gear so the motor just spun the shaft and the rubber turned to bits and the plastic inside went away.

All fixed with a new brass gear kit which included a new bumper.

Evil-Twin

One of the problems with this gear and the rubber bumper inside the gear is heat over time makes both parts brittle.. The New gear kit from Rodney also includes a new rubber bumper with a better durometer spec. it also includes a steel reenforcemnt brace. for 50 dollars its a one time fix... 50 dollars includes shipping. it comes with glue a grease as well. and instructions. there are two kits available.. one for the steel housing and one for the plastic housing.. the steel housing is 97 to 2000, it has three bolts and a gasket... the 2001+ is a plastic housing.
Bill aka ET

KorbenDallas

Tried "flipping" the gear but it didn't work for me. I replaced both gears with brass gears.

C5FORFUN2

turned the gear and worked fine for me too. Wish I had known about just removing the arm and turning it but I didn't untill after I removed the motor and took it apart.

jellyjam

I Removed the arm and rotated the gear with the manuel **** 180 degrees 4 years ago. It still works like it should. At most I only use my headlights once a week. I also did this at the first time it caused a problem. This was on my 2004 Vette.

65 Drivr

Flipping the gear 180 will work on a midyear (63-67).
I wouldn't do it on a C5.
I have already done both my midyear (flipped the cast alum? gear) and my C5 (replaced because there was nothing left to flip of the torn to pieces plastic gear).

Dennis Wilson

Same here!

dlboyd41

Hmmm? I did the rotation on my 2000 and it had plastic cases?? I did not crack my open i just unscrewed the lift arm off the motor then spun the deal coming out of the motor 180 put the lift arm back on and bingo.

Ironman433

In my '99, I have the metal case that has the accessable gear entry. I didn't really get what was meant by "Rotating the gear 180" until after I had already taken the motor out and opened the case thinking THAT was where you would rotate the gear at. Still not fully understanding what was meant by "Rotating the gear 180" - I came up with ANOTHER way to do a temporary quick fix which I posted in "Battery Draining Issues - #9" with photos.

Basically, once you get the case open you will find two plastic sleeves that are attached to the metal shaft (or axel or what ever the rod is called that the gear is attached to) - one on either side of the gear used as spacers to keep the gear centered in the case.

Since this was only intended as a quick, easy fix to get me on the road until the correct parts arrived - all I did was take the spacer from underneath the gear and put it on top next to the other one. That let the gear set lower in the case where it would mesh with the worm gear that turns it in the center of the gear where the teeth are still in great condition. There were two very thin washers on either side of the spacers which I left where they belonged and still kept the gear from rubbing on the side of the case inside. It seems to me that this would have been a better location to have the gear mesh with the worm gear to begin with rather than just the top corner of the gear where it is weaker by design - but what do I know...?? I'm just an Ironworker who drives a fancy sports car! (I get that a lot until I point out a few facts about what I call my "Economical Work Car" - I paid $13K for it USED on eBay, I get 22-26 MPG and full coverage insurance runs me $800 per year! Better than any Hundaii or VW Rabbit I ever saw and you don't look like an ******* driving it! How many MPGs did you say you were getting in your brand new $35K F250 4X4... Brother?! ...and that usually shuts them up for a while!! LOL)

While the operation is technically the same either way - I think if you had said to "Rotate the gear shaft 180" it would have been easier for a simpleton, non-mechanic type guy like myself to grasp what you meant . I was under the impression that I needed to tear this motor apart to get to the gear so that I could flip it around somehow. Unable to do that, I came up with my quick fix and it JUST NOW registered in my mind what you were saying about turning the shaft... Now that I have torn into the motor and understand what is going on here. But like I said - I'm an Ironworker, not a mechanic! And this battery issue with headlight motors and stuff was scaring the crap out of me until I did the job!

Also, I found the brass gear at Ekler's for $32!